Simple Statistics: Book Recommendations for Data Science Beginners
Whether you’re trying not to fall asleep in your high school statistics class or you’re 20 years down the road wishing you hadn’t, these books are for you.
#1 — Naked Statistics by Charles Wheelan
Rating:
4.6 / 5 stars with 2,317 reviews at the time of writing.
Overview:
I’ve recommended this book before and I am sure I will countless times in the future. For an absolute beginner, this book is the best place to start. It is easy to read, easy to digest, and provides the reader with an overview of the most basic concepts in statistics with real life examples.
What other readers are saying:
“Where a traditional textbook fails in explaining its material and relevance, this book excels…” Amazon reviewer, Rbpercussion
“ In particular, the examples he used to further explain the material really brought everything together and made it easy to understand and retain.” — Amazon reviewer, Will Ross
Why you’ll love it:
It’s fun, it’s accessible, and it will give you a good foundation to begin building your statistics knowledge.
#2— Introduction to Statistics by Jim Frost
Rating:
4.5 / 5 stars with 213 reviews at the time of writing.
Overview:
Introduction to Statistics is written by the well known statisticsbyjim blogger, Jim Frost. He focuses on presenting statistics in a way that feels intuitive and provides the reader with skills which can be immediately applied. This isn’t a textbook full of formulas — it’s an explanation of concepts and how they are applied in statistical software and data science.
What other readers are saying:
“…his writing is super friendly, easy to read, easy to understand, and enjoyable, which is all quite impressive for the topic of statistics.” — Amazon reviewer, Allison Loves Math
“Well-written for the novice or advanced reader interested in statistics, hypothesis testing, analyzing data… arranged so your choice of statistical software can be used to handle the calculations, you get right into learning concepts and practices needed to know how to perform the analysis and interpret results correctly.” — Amazon reviewer, T
Why you’ll love it:
Straightforward and applicable without getting too far ‘into the weeds’.
#3 — Introduction to Probability, Statistics, and Random Processes by Hossein Pishro-Nik
Rating:
4.7 / 5 stars with 240 reviews at the time of writing.
Overview:
This book differs from the others on the list in that it’s a textbook, not a narrative. At a hefty 732 pages, it dives much deeper into each area of statistics and probability. That being said, the content is still clear and understandable. It’s a textbook without being overly technical or hard to digest. Bonus: It’s packed with practice exercises at the end of each section to help solidify your knowledge.
What other readers are saying:
“This is the best introductory non-measure-theoretic probability book available in the English language.” — Amazon reviewer, anonymous
“One of the best textbooks I have ever read… Important ideas are explained in terms as simple and clear as possible, and ample examples and exercises with answers were given to help enhancing your understanding.” — Amazon reviewer, C You
Why you’ll love it:
Unlike your high school statistics textbook, you won’t want to just use this one as a paperweight. It provides depth and breadth of understanding of statistical concepts in a manner that is accessible to beginners and advanced practitioners alike.
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